Once again, Creative can’t leave well enough alone. As if the iRoar didn’’t put out enough bass from such a small package, Creative decided to build a subwoofer for it. Yeah. If you’ve ever heard an iRoar, you would be scratching your head, too. But, here it is—the iRoar Rock—and if you have an iRoar [...]
Bill Henderson
Invisible zippers. That’s what initially struck me when I first saw the new Waterfield Designs Bolt Backpack. When I unpacked and inspected it, I couldn’t find the zippers. Only when I noticed the leather zipper pulls, did I see how ingenious the disappearing zippers are. It’s really cool. But that’s not the only cool thing [...]
In my review of the new Focal Listen headphone, I mentioned that it was at the bottom rung (so to speak) of three new headphones from the French company Focal. Further up the ladder were the Elear and Utopia headphones—both very different headphones and both much, much more expensive. When I was given the chance [...]
If it’s true that good things come in small packages, then today, better things come in small packages. Bowers and Wilkins has released the new and improved P3 Series 2 headphone. I reviewed the original P3 and said that, “The P3 headphones are a big step up for people on the move. Their warmth, detail [...]
When I reviewed the Focal Spirit Classic, Professional and One S headphones, I marveled how a French maker of insanely expensive speakers could manage to produce affordable headphones. Yes, they’re expensive, but not when compared to their heritage. Well, that’s all changed. Focal has released three new headphones and while the Elear (review coming) headphone [...]
Last year, Bowers & Wilkins stepped into the future with their on ear P5 Wireless headphone. In my review, I said … “the fact that Bowers & Wilkins makes the P5 sound as good as it does when wireless is a wonderful bonus.” That bonus has been expanded to include the over ear B&W P7 Wireless. [...]
It's always fun to watch an audio startup grow up and upset the aural landscape. Reid Heath Ltd. (RHA) has been doing just that with good to great earphones. Their MA150, MA350, MA450i, S500i, MA600i, MA750i and T10i earphones all sound like they cost more than they do. Plus the MA 750i and T10i are built like [...]
You might think that after reviewing the ginormous Braven BRV-XXL, it would be a letdown following that up with a review of the much, much smaller BRV-1M speaker. But that would be a wrong assumption. Yes, the BRV-XXL sounds better—a lot better than the BRV-1M. So what? It ought to—it’s over ten times bigger and [...]
Say what you will about Creative Labs; they sure know how to milk a product line. In 2014, I reviewed the Creative Roar Bluetooth speaker and fell in love with its ability to sound as good as the current (at the time) portable Bose speakers at a fraction of the price. Yeah, it had some [...]
British audio company Rock Jaw's Genus earphones impressed me not only with audio that sounded better than the price would indicate, but the Genus also offered a set of filters for the ultimate customization. However, as I’ve discovered with most earphones that come with filters—once you find one you like, that's the one you stick [...]
In the world of headphones, there are a few different technologies that are used to reproduce music. By far, the most common are dynamic speaker headphones—basically a miniature speaker sitting right next to your ear. Then there’s planer-magnetic headphones which are (usually) far more accurate than dynamic speakers minus the bass kick (again, usually). Finally, [...]
It's almost comical. One of the best in-ear headphones (earphones) available at any price comes in a package that isn't nearly as nice as some of the cheapest headphones available. Not only that, there's an embarrassing selection of only three pairs of tips, no mic and ... no case? Are you kidding me? Okay, they [...]
Just when I finished reviewing the huge Braven BRV-XXL, they released the smallest of the Braven family; the Braven 105 Active. The 105 is made for just that—an active lifestyle. While you could conceivably get more exercise jogging while carrying the 18 lb. BRV-XXL, it’s obviously not practical—and just plain weird. The Braven 105, however, [...]
In 2013, I reviewed the Meze 73 Classics headphones. I liked the sound and the use of wood for the ear cups. It helped project a warm and friendly audio quality that was easy to listen to for hours. All this holds true for the new 99 Classics headphone. Meze has trimmed their entire headphone [...]
I’m getting tired of repeating myself, but here goes: Braven speakers make some of the best speakers I’ve reviewed, blah, blah, blah. With all the Braven reviews I’ve written, it’s beginning to sound trite, but it is true. Over the past few years, I’ve watched Braven evolve from a maker of the really good small, [...]